Patio progress

So sorry for the absence. Life has been crazy around here. We are getting married in about 3 weeks and found out, about a week ago, that Fumi's parents are coming from Japan!! (EEEK!) I am so so happy that they are making the long journey to Utah. They are planning to stay with us along with Fumi's brother Masa and his wife Reina. We are so excited to have everyone here together in our humble abode :) My very talented, handy, and genius of a father (whom I take after, I'll have you know) has started a patio off the back of our house. It will be so nice to enjoy those cool September nights when Fumi's family comes... Here are some pics of the progress:

Here is some prepping and before:

Our friends Jimmy and Lindsay were so nice to come help us :)

I promise I wasn't just taking pictures, I was contributing~

We are doing big concrete squares with wood in between. The patio is 10 ft x 20 ft, so 18 blocks total.

First row done...

Fumi adding some water to the concrete mix.

Two rows down, one to go! Ill post pictures when it's complete!

 

Found It

Lo and behold, after months and months of searching for the perfect shower curtain I have found it. 

 

West Elm never disappoints. They just released their new fall arrivals today and this little beauty is exactly what I have been searching for! Now I just need to hunt down a coupon code :)

A few other things I wouldn't mind adding to 737....

This gorgeous sheet set:

A few of these hanging around:

and a couple of these for those cooler summer nights...

Enjoy your Tuesday everyone~

Hello again

Summer has been filled with excitement and I have been away from the computer and enjoying this beautiful season instead. We had an amazing time in Japan and I fell in love with my new family. 

This picture is of Fumi, his ninety year-old grandpa and his two cousins. Such beautiful hands. Hopefully they get passed down to our future little ones.

Fumi's adorable cousin Shyunta at our wedding dinner. We ate so much good food and they brought out this sweet dessert for us.

I got to wear a beautiful kimono that was stitched with gold and cost somewhere around $90,000 (we rented it of course). It is tradition in Japan to wear a kimono when you get married. I'll have more photos to come but here is a little preview...

Since we have been home we have been working a ton in our backyard. Trying to get it to where we can enjoy these warm summer nights outside.

Fumi built me a garden box.

We tore down down our leaning garage... 

Before:

During:

After:

and tilled up the hard soil.

My wonderful friends threw me a birthday party. They made these adorable Japanese flag cupcakes :)

I saw Sheryl Crow with Halley....

and went to the Farmers Market with Fumi and Mocha.

Fumi had an Italian Sausage...

and I had Gazpacho.

I love Utah summers so much. I almost feel like I am in a rush to do as much as I can before the cold months creep in. So excited for the fourth of July. Parades, swimming, and hot dogs :)

Just a snippet...

I wanted to share a few pictures of our trip so far. We have eaten live squid, taken a boat ride down the Yanagawa River, ate at the most famous eel restaurant in Japan, and experienced a monsoon. I haven't even had the chance to be hungry and I am in awe at how much food Fumi's parents eat, and keep in mind together they probably weigh less than 240 lbs. Everything is miniature here, including the people. I will give a more in depth account when I get back, we have so much to see!

 View from first class... :D

Fumi's mom wearing the apron my mom made for her. She is seriously the cutest thing.

Fumi's mom made this for us the night that we arrived. Raw Bonito fish and pan-fried tofu.

At a beautiful Red Maple shrine right up the street from Fumi's parents house. Ya I don't know what a Red Maple shrine is but we washed our hands in a fountain and said a little prayer, bowed, and then listened to a priest chant. It was magical :)

Fumi and his mom, Toshiko, with their umbrellas. We experienced a monsoon while we were here. It rained all day for two days straight.

A local flower shop.

The best eel in Japan.

Riding the river. The man who drove our boat has been doing that same job for over thirty years. He said that he knows exactly where his stick hits in the bottom of the river every time he pushes the boat along.

Fumi's mom is an amazing cook, I'm trying to learn her ways while I'm here.

This is us at the squid restaurant. I'll post a video later of me eating the squid that was still moving while it was in my chopstick. Ya I'm brave. They actually catch the squid in that pier right behind us.

Pineapple :)

Squid's eye.

A Japanese delicacy, kind of like an oyster. In Tokyo these are $7 a piece, but we got four for a dollar :)

Another beautiful dinner made by Toshiko.

Just a little bit of what we have been up too.

New Shoes, Planning, & Packing

I have had an epiphany. 

I should wear comfortable shoes. 

People have been trying to sway me for years, but I guess it's one of those things I had to learn on my own.

We leave for Japan on Thursday(ah!) and I wanted to get some really comfy shoes to walk in and wear while I'm there.

So I found these:

They are Born brand, which I was hesitant on because I always thought only nurses and grandma's wore Born. Boy was I wrong. I don't know if I can ever go back to my little cheap-o flats from Target(no offense Target I will always be faithful to you, just maybe not for shoes anymore. Sorry.).

They are extremely comfortable, even though they are pretty tall. 

I did a little research yesterday on the happenings in Fukuoka, Japan while we are there.

On my birthday we are planning on going to the Edo Iris Ritual. The end of May is the best time to appreciate the shrine’s 100 different varieties of iris. A white-robed Shinto priest makes an offering of cut irises, and shrine maidens perform a beautiful dance. The best part is that it's free!

We are going to watch fireflies at the Firefly festival at the base of Mt. Mino.

Hopefully we will make it to the Waterfall Opening Festival. This festival features drum performances, lots of yummy food, and fishing. It all takes place among beautiful scenery that includes 300-year-old trees.

 The next few days are going to be crazy before we leave. Lots of work, cleaning, and packing.

I found an amazing packing list here

 if any of you are jet-setting this summer.

Have a beautiful Monday!

Uneven, patchy, ugliness.

 

So after all of the prep work of stripping, chipping, and sanding these doors (which has taken way longer than anticipated, but doesn't it always?) it was finally staining time, and the moment of truth. 

I had my lovely mom to assist me.

And no she is not pregnant, we wanted our staining rags handy so we would be ready to wipe that stain off at the drop of a hat. So we stuck them under our shirts :)

 

After MUCH deliberation (I seriously stressed about this) I chose English Chestnut to stain the doors with. I had actually originally wanted to whitewash them just to keep the house nice and bright. But after testing that I hated it. So I decided that a wood door with white trim will be woody, earthy, and clean, which is kind of the theme of my life. I actually considered calling my blog; woody, earthy, and clean. Bad idea? Ya everyone I asked thought so. 

Stain on!! And it looks gorgeous!! I was ecstatic! I was going to have one of those blogs that make everything look super easy to do, and everything they do, turn out super cute! My life is complete!

Wrong.

Wipe the stain off and this is what I saw. Uneven, patchy, ugliness. Nothing like the beautiful woody, earthy, clean vision I had. Dang. Oh and please forgive the cluttery carport, that's a whole other project in itself. So my journey in the DIY world is going to be a long road. But I am not giving up. I am taking all and every suggestion on what to do with these doors.

Instead of leaving you with this pitiful excuse for a picture I will leave you with yet another picture of my dog. Mocha, take it away.

Have a beautiful weekend.